Grants of Representation

Grants of Representation – A New Style is Coming

What is a Grant of Representation?

A Grant of Representation is the document required to confirm your authority to deal with the estate of an individual who has died. A Grant of Representation can be necessary whether or not the deceased left a Will.

If the deceased left a Will appointing Executors, these Executors will normally apply for a Grant of Probate to enable them to administer the estate.

If the deceased did not leave a Will, their next of kin may need to apply for a Grant of Letters of Administration.

The general term for either of these documents is a Grant of Representation.

What is Changing?

Currently, a Grant of Representation is a one page document with a Court embossed seal and a copy of the deceased’s Will attached.

However, there are a number of new counter-fraud features which will be introduced to Grants of Representation, including:

a high security hologram;

a digital seal (rather than an embossed seal);

a standard digital signature (instead of a ‘wet’ signature); and

a telephone number to allow individuals processing the document to check its authenticity

In addition, new-style Grants of Representation issued will no longer be accompanied by a copy of the deceased’s Will. A copy of the Will may be applied for after the issue of the Grant of Representation, but it should be noted that it will be prudent to retain a copy of the deceased’s Will before submitting any applications going forward.

The new-style Grants will be issued from this month (March 2019). But, rest-assured, old-style Grants will always retain their validity.

The changes to Grants of Representation are part of HM Courts and Tribunal Services ambitious program of Court Reform, which aims to utilise new technology and modern ways of working.

Parrott & Coales LLP

Parrott & Coales LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales with the registered number OC 326380 and is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority www.sra.org.uk